NYCFC in bid to develop soccer stadium near NY's Belmont Park

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Dive Brief:

The New York City Football Club (NYCFC) has reportedly teamed up with Related Cos. to submit a bid to develop a soccer stadium and entertainment complex on a 43-acre site at the Belmont Park horse-racing track in Elmont, NY, according to Newsday. The bid is in response to a request by Empire State Development for a private company to develop a sports and entertainment project on the property.

The proposal for the Belmont site would include a soccer stadium, retail space and a hotel. The New York Islanders National Hockey League team is also expected to bid on the site.

NYCFC has shared space at Yankee Stadium since its first season in 2015. However, the Belmont site's location away from the city center and public transit options could challenge attendance, BisNow reported. The team is also considering three other sites in the New York City area.

Dive Insight:

Soccer has enjoyed a burst in popularity in the U.S. As a result, teams that share stadiums with other professional sports franchises or that have been relegated to older facilities are beginning to strike out on their own and build dedicated sports complexes.

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert is chasing an MLS franchise for Detroit, for which he has a $1 billion professional soccer stadium and mixed-use development on the boards.

His development company Rock Ventures is in the process of negotiating a deal for the site, which is currently home to an unfinished county jail project. Gilbert has offered to build a larger facility in another part of downtown if the jail will relocate. He has committed to paying the difference between the $520 million estimated cost of a new justice center and the $380 million the county has allocated for the original facility.